Crunchy autumn slaw with ginger-honey-yogurt dressing – Rosh Hashanah salad

Autumn slaw is a delicious salad of carrots, beets & leeks in a sweet and tangy, creamy dressing. A beautiful and tasty side dish.

There are many symbolic foods which are traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year. The most well known are apples and honey, which are consumed for a ‘sweet new year’.

Another commonly eaten food is carrots, which are often made into tsimmes. This sweet, slow-cooked carrot stew frequently has dried fruit added. It brings the promise of sweetness to the new year, and in addition, the sliced carrots bear a (very slight) resemblance to golden coins, which offer the hope of prosperity and plenty in the year ahead too.

What are Simanim?

The word ‘simanim’ means signs or omens. It is the name given to the symbolic foods traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah.

Alongside apples, honey and carrots, there are a whole host of other symbolic foods and ingredients which are less frequently seen. In the interests of variety, I try to include at least some of them in my Rosh Hashanah cooking.

Some are easy – for instance you can throw pomegranate seeds and beetroots into or over just about anything! Others however, are not so easy. I’ve yet to succeed in slipping fenugreek into anything. 

Autumn slaw – ingredients

This easy Autumn salad includes a variety of Rosh Hashanah staples in one delicious and simple side dish. It is a lovely addition to a festive lunch, and is extremely tasty as well as being a gorgeous colour!

To make this tasty Autumn slaw, you will need:

• Carrots – crunchy and delicious!
• Beetroots – earthy, sweet, and bring a gorgeous colour to the salad
• Leek – adds piquancy and a lovely contrast to the other veg

For the dressing:

• Fresh root ginger – gives a lovely spicy flavour
• Honey – adds natural sweetness
• Natural yogurt – tangy, creamy and delicious! Use soya yogurt for a parve alternative
• Extra virgin olive oil – adds richness to the dressing

Autumn slaw – variations

You can add all sorts of different shredded vegetables and even fruits to this tasty salad recipe with great results. For instance, you might like to include:

• Grated celeriac
• Shredded cabbage – red, green, savoy, take your pick!
• Finely sliced fennel
• Grated kohlrabi
• Shredded brussels sprouts
• Finely sliced red onion or spring onions
• Grated apple or ‘hard’ pear
• Dried fruits such as raisins, sultanas or dried cranberries

Make ahead!

You can prepare the vegetables and the dressing in advance (up to 24 hours) and refrigerate them separately until needed. Once you mix them together the vegetables will start to generate liquid, so do wait till the last minute before adding the dressing. You can make the salad parev (dairy free) by using soya yogurt in the dressing in place of natural yogurt.

Symbolic foods

Beets, carrots, leeks and honey are all symbolic foods for Rosh Hashanah, as well as being extremely tasty and nutritious.

The salad dressing is super-simple and really fabulously delicious. After the High Holydays I will be making this to go over all sorts of salads, not just this slaw. Yum. 

The recipe makes a huge mound of Autumn slaw – serves at least 6 as a side dish.

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📖 Recipe

Crunchy Autumn vegetable slaw

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Autumn slaw is a delicious salad of carrots, beets & leeks in a sweet and tangy, creamy dressing. A beautiful and tasty side dish.

2.67 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Vegetarian

Servings 6

Calories 118 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 250 g beetroots (3-4 medium beetroots)
• 400 g carrots (5-6 carrots)
• 1 leek

For the dressing

• 15 g piece of fresh root ginger (4-5cm or 1½-2 inch piece)
• 1 tablespoon runny honey
• 5 tablespoon natural yogurt (or use non-dairy yogurt to make it parev)
• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

 

• 250 g (9 oz) beetroots, 400 g (14 oz) carrots
  Peel the beetroots and carrots and use the food processor to shred/grate. (Alternatively you can do this by hand but it will take much longer!)
• 1 leek
  Trim and wash the leek and slice finely. Mix with the shredded beets and carrots.

For the dressing

• 15 g (½ oz) piece of fresh root ginger
  Peel the ginger and grate finely, catching as much of the juice as possible.
• 1 tbsp runny honey, 5 tbsp natural yogurt, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  Mix the grated ginger and its juice with the honey, yogurt and olive oil by shaking in a screw-top jar, or whisking thoroughly.
• Just before serving, pour the dressing over the vegetables and mix well. Serve.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Crunchy Autumn vegetable slaw

Amount per Serving

Calories

118

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

6

g

9

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

4

g

Cholesterol

 

2

mg

1

%

Sodium

 

90

mg

4

%

Potassium

 

414

mg

12

%

Carbohydrates

 

17

g

6

%

Fiber

 

3

g

13

%

Sugar

 

10

g

11

%

Protein

 

2

g

4

%

Vitamin A

 

11415

IU

228

%

Vitamin C

 

8

mg

10

%

Calcium

 

58

mg

6

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword beet, beetroot, carrot, honey, leek, yogurt

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More delicious Rosh Hashanah recipes

If you’re after more delicious YomTov salads and sides, take a look at this list of the best side dishes for Rosh Hashanah or these gorgeous late summer salads for a Rosh Hashanah menu.